Sandblast cabinet



Dec. 8, 1970 M.VRANA 3,545,137

SANDBLAST CABINET Filed Aug. 21, 1968 2 Sheets-$heet Fig.1

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DQ 8, 1970 M. VRANA I SANDBLAST CABINET 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 21. 1968 \z 9 N w .1 llllllllllll E n a n m w P i 4 m m m m United States Patent 3,545,137 SANDBLAST CABINET Mlroslav Vrana, Zurich, Switzerland, assignor to H. A. Dietiker AG, Zollikon, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Aug. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 754,186 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Sept. 21, 1967, 13,206/67 Int. Cl. B24c 3/00 US. Cl. 51-8 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The sandblast cabinet has a folding door guided on rails and a counterweight for holding the door open and balancing its weight.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a sandblast cabinet having a door that can be swung about an upper horizontal axis, an observation Window in the door, and two handholes in the door for permitting access to the cabinet interior when the door is closed, the handholes being covered to prevent sand escaping from the cabinet.

Sandblast cabinets of this kind are known in the prior art. Their design has the advantages that they operate troublefree, require little room, and are easy to operate. The door of these cabinets is in one piece. Consequently, a disadvantage is that the sand, clinging to the door after a workpiece has been sandblasted, can be deposited on the operator and on the floor when the door is swung up, since the lower edge of the door describes a wide are when the latter is opened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the invention is to provide a sandblast cabinet that avoids this drawback, the sand clinging to the door falling back into the cabinet interior when the door is opened.

An object of the invention is a sandblast cabinet that incorporates a folding door comprised of an upper and a lower leaf pivotally connected together to swing about a horizontal axis, the lower edge of the lower leaf being guided to move along a path defined by the two sides of the folding-door opening, when the door is opened and closed.

This object and others of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described, with reference to the figures of the drawings, wherein FIG. 1 is a front view of the sandblast cabinet of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cabinet, with the folding door raised; and

FIG. 3 is a front view of the cabinet, with the folding door raised.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the figures, the sandblast cabinet 1 is rectangular in cross section and stands upon four legs 2. The cabinet is closed by a folding door having two leaves 3a and 3b, the upper leaf 3b being pivotally mounted on a horizontal hinge 4 connected to the top of the cabinet. Hinges 5 connect the lower door leaf 3a to the upper, and permit the former to swing with respect to the latter about a horizontal axis. When the folding door is closed, the lower leaf lies against the vertical front edges "ice 1a of the cabinets side walls and the upper leaf against the rearwardly slanting front edges 1b of these walls. A guide rail 6 extends parallel along these edges of each side wall. A respective roller or pin 7, mounted on the lower door leaf, runs in a respective guide rail, so that the lower edge of the leaf 3a is guided along the edges 1a and 1b when the folding door is opened and closed, these two edges defining a respective side of the folding-door opening.

The weight of the door leaves is balanced, and the folding door is held open, by a counterweight 12 held by cables 8 connected to the axles of respective rollers 7 and running over respective sets of guiding pulleys 9, 10, and 11. The counterweight moves vertically in guideways in the rear wall of the cabinet 1. A handle 13 is mounted on the lower door leaf 3a for opening and closing the folding door. Access to the interior of the closed cabinet is provided by two handholes covered by perforated rubber sheets 14 and incorporated in the leaf 3a. The upper leaf 3b embodies an observation window. An outlet funnel 16 is mounted in a known manner on the bottom of the cabinet. A downwardly slanting deflector 17, mounted on the inner side of the leaf 3a, returns the sand thrown against the leaf to the interior of the cabinet or to the outlet funnel.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, the scope of, and the breadth of protection afforded to, the invention are limited solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A sandblast cabinet having a door opening including two sides and a door that can be swung about an upper horizontal axis, an observation window in said door, and two handholes in said door for permitting access to the cabinet interior when said door is closed, the handholes being covered to prevent sand escaping from the cabinet, and wherein the improvement comprises that said door is a folding door, an upper and lower leaf for said folding door, means pivotally connecting said lower leaf to said upper leaf for swinging about a horizontal axis located below said upper horizontal axis, said lower leaf defining a lower edge, and guide means for guiding said lower leaf so that said lower edge thereof moves along a path defined by the said two sides of the door opening, when said folding door is opened and closed, whereby sand clinging to the folding door falls back into the cabinet interior when the former is opened.

2. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 1, wherein said folding door forms at least part of the front of the cabinet, and said lower leaf is vertical and said upper leaf slants rearwardly when said folding door is closed.

3. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 1, wherein said guide means includes two guide rails mounted inside the cabinet on respective sides of said folding door, and respective means mounted on said folding door for moving along the path of respective ones of said guide rails.

4. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 3, including two walls for the cabinet, each wall defining a respective side of the two sides of the door opening, a respective one of said two guide rails is mounted on the inside surface of a respective one of said two cabinet walls near and parallel to a respective said opening side, and said means mounted on said folding-door are mounted on the inside surface of said lower leaf thereof and run in said guide rails.

5. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 1, including a counterweight for balancing the weight of, and holding open, said folding-door, two cables for connecting said lower leaf to said counterweight, and means for sup porting and guiding each said cable between said lower leaf and said counterweight.

6. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 5, includ- References Cited ing a rear wall for the cabinet located opposite, and spaced from, said folding-door, and wherein said counter- UNITED STATES PATENTS weight is suspended by said cables to move vertically ,0 9 0/ 1948 Tell 51-15 along said rear wall. 5 2,907,200 10/ 1959 Roberts et a1. 51-8X 7. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 6, wherein 3,300,902 1 19 7 Dockery said means for supporting and guiding said cables are 3,352,063 11/1967 Eppler guiding pulleys.

8. The sandblast cabinet as defined in claim 6, includ- LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner ing guideways incorporated in said rear cabinet wall for 10 guiding the movement of said counterweight. 

